Saturday November 23rd was wet and windy, but that didn’t stop the Acalanes “Frosh and the Furious” ladies soccer team from dominating the Clayton Valley Ugly Eagles with a 6:2 win.
Ten minutes went by as each team probed for weaknesses and settled into their rhythm. The scoring silence was broken after the Dons earned a corner kick. Avery Titus bent the ball towards the net. It looked like it was going in but the whistle was blown. Unfortunately for the Ugly Eagles, things got ugly as they received a handball red card inside their penalty box. The Dons scored on a Penalty Kick (Titus) and the Eagles were forced to play with only 10 women (1:0).
The Acalanes defense and midfield appeared impenetrable in the first half. With Shelley Khan, Alexa Wall, Courtney Hamill & Ashby Raher in the back line, there wasn’t much for goalkeeper Maria Statnikova to do. The Dons showed great skill in the midfield with well controlled ball movement from Hannah Hoover, Piper Anderson, and Penny Haslam.
Late in the first half the Dons earned another corner kick. The ball sent in by Ruby Coy was deflected to the left side of the box. Ashby Raher saw her opportunity and with a strong leg sent it deep in the back of the net, high above the goalkeeper’s reach. We went to the half with the Dons up (2:0).
Ever the competitive sportsman, coach Peter Bonfanti petitioned the referees to allow the Eagles to return their 11th player to the competition. They were going to need her.
The Eagles took the Don’s fair play attitude as a sign of weakness and put the first goal of the half in the net with a fast paced breakaway (2:1).
It didn’t take long for the Dons to start scoring again. Avery Titus captured the ball in midfield and weaved through the Eagles defense Riverdance-style, putting the ball in the corner far from the keeper’s reach (3:1).
The Eagles deserve credit for their perseverance against the talented Dons. They managed to get a great through ball to their striker in the box. At point blank range, Maria Statnikova made a great diving save.
The Dons got another opportunity with a corner. As the ball found its way out of the box, Shelly Khan sent a very promising strike just high of the crossbar.
The Eagles were almost a different team in the 2nd half and had several decent attacks, starting with a near breakaway, stopped by Courtney Hamill who would not let them get a shot off. The physicality of the game increased significantly but the lady Dons would not be pushed around. The Eagles capitalized on the rough play as they were awarded a free kick which managed to score (3:2).
Not to worry. The Dons decided it was time to put this game to rest. Avery Titus put the Dons score up to 4 with her second hat-trick in two weeks (4:2). Shortly after, Eva McKinley passed to Titus who dished it to Ruby Coy for a fireball left footed banger that the keeper had no chance of stopping (5:2) Shortly after, Svea Staino buried one on a great pass from Eloise Greeson. Alexa Wall put on a final ball handling showcase, weaving her way through the Eagles defense in an impressive drive from backfield. The whistle was blown with the Frosh and the Furious taking home the win (6:2).